Vindicator

Part 7

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Kelly grabbed Jason’s arm, an unspoken plea to stop moving. When he obeyed the silent directive, she hunched over, hands on her knees, and gasped for breath as quietly as she could. He frowned at her. “You’re in decent shape and you walk Pokémon paths all day,” he murmured, “you can’t be that badly winded.”

“Yes, I can,” she hissed. “I’m not usually running full speed away from an ambush. What the hell happened back there?”

“How should I know?” he returned.

“You should know ‘cause she’s your Kangaskhan,” was her answer – and Jason found it difficult to disagree. “What happened?”

He shrugged helplessly. “I guess... maybe she sensed we were being backed into a corner with those guys. That’s all I’m guessing, I don’t know for sure.”

“So she senses we’re backed into a corner and she pops out to defend us?”

“Probably not defend so much as lash out. She’s been wanting to do that ever since she was killed. Now she has the power to turn it around on anyone that tries it again – if you had that kind of power, wouldn’t you want to use it just that way?”

Kelly slowly straightened up. “I guess,” she admitted. She frowned at Jason. “How is it you still have your breath in you? You had to run as hard as me.”

“I grew up on the Orange Islands, I’m used to swimming that fast. After that, running’s no big deal to me.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree, then looked around in idle curiosity. “Where did you take us, anyway?”

“The sign said ‘Underground Path’, genius, I think you can figure it out from there.” She chucked her thumb at the building behind them, from which they’d made their exit only a few moments before. “I figured they wouldn’t be riding their bikes into a building like that, so it seemed like the best place to gain some ground away from them. Besides, it sounded like the group was supposed to head east from Saffron. The fog’s probably cleared up by now, they’ll be on their way and none the wiser.”

“Yeah, but that took us all the way to the other side of Saffron. Isn’t the gym supposed to be on the east end of town?”

“Maybe you’d like to rephrase that to include a bit of gratitude?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I did just get us away from those bikers. All you could do was just stand there like a blithering idiot and watch Kangaskhan rip their Pokémon to shreds.”

“Yeah, good thing you’re not speaking literally,” Jason muttered. “But yeah. Thanks. You’re right.” He shook his head. “That whole battle was just a terrible idea.”

“And I didn’t even get any winnings from it,” she pointed out. “At least you got something for your trouble.”

“What, you want me to split what I got with you?”

She tilted her head. “That’s an uncharacteristically generous offer.”

“I just don’t feel like hearing you complain about it. You already have so many other things you’re just gonna go on and on about...”

She smacked his shoulder. “Shut up. You wanted to go to the Saffron gym, Mr. I Can Swim My Running Speed In The Orange Islands, suck it up and take a few extra paces to make it work.”

“Yeah, yeah... first thing, to the Pokémon Center. Didn’t you say I had to register?”

“I did, and you do.” She scoffed. “Kind of surprised you listened to me. You’re so good at ignoring me any other time.”

“Not that good.” Jason gestured to the pathway leading toward the Saffron City welcome sign. “C’mon.”

–

Finding their way around Saffron City was more difficult than most other towns in the Kanto region had been so far, with the possible exception of Viridian City. Saffron was built on white collar industry, and boasted a series of skyscrapers in the center of town that touted exceptional names in business, law, and information technology. The greatest spear amongst these appeared to be dedicated to a company Jason had never heard of – Silph Co. He tilted his head at the sign. “What do they do?” he wondered aloud.

“They develop technology for people like you and me,” was Kelly’s reply. “Among other things, they manufacture the capture balls that make it possible for humanity to catch and train Pokémon. They also develop the repellent sprays that help trainers get away from unfriendly encounters with wild Pokémon... pretty important when your entire team is knocked out. If it weren’t for them, modern methods for keeping trainers safe in the field would be nonexistent.”

The residential district seemed to form a large donut around these skyscrapers that claimed the middle, and it represented every outer edge of the location – almost as if the whole endeavor was little more than a gargantuan ring toss left forgotten by some giant, hyperactive child. But it wasn’t the housing Jason was interested in, so much as the local Pokémon Center, where he could heal the Pokémon at his disposal and gather together a team more suited to the task ahead.

Surreptitiously, he kept Kangaskhan’s out of the tray of capture balls he handed to Nurse Joy for treatment, and went to the computer to retrieve review information while he waited for her ministrations to be completed. Kelly peered over his shoulder. “What’re you up to?” she inquired.

“Need to know what I’m about to walk into, don’t I?” he said, and he pointed to the screen. “Local Pokémon gym is called the Fighting Dojo. Kind of a little shindig on the northeast corner of town. Three guesses on what kind of Pokémon they train there, but I’m betting you’ll only need one.”

“You’re probably going to run into Pokémon a lot higher in level than yours,” she pointed out. “Even if you get the information you need, you’ll most likely lose. Your Pokémon might not appreciate you taking them in there to get their asses kicked.”

“Thanks for that ray of sunshine,” he scoffed. “Next time I need to be depressed, I’ll be sure to give you a call.”

“Don’t mention it.” He dialed in a request to Professor Oak’s laboratory. “I’ll trade in what doesn’t belong in that arena. That means Rattata and Paras go to the lab. But Spearow stays, so does Gyarados. But I should bring Butterfree back in, maybe Ekans – aha, wait.” He snapped his fingers. “Zubat. Perfect match there. I need the maneuverability of flight. Fighting-Type Pokémon don’t have that.”

“Jason, it isn’t just going to be a matter of type differences,” Kelly said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’re going to need to consider just how powerful your enemies are going to be. Whether you like it or not, you’re about to go into gym battles. You seriously need to be ready to lose.”

“That’s probably the one thing I don’t have time for,” he answered.

Kelly opened her mouth to say something else, but Nurse Joy hailed Jason from the counter, and he stepped away from the terminal, allowing her hand to slip off him. She let out a sigh and followed after him. “And what’re you going to do when it happens?”

“I’ll figure that out when it does.” He swept the balls out of the tray and slotted them in his belt while giving her a pointed look. “Gyarados and Kangaskhan should be able to take care of a bunch of the opposition, worse comes to worst.”

“You’ve already seen Gyarados go down once. It can happen again. And you can only barely control Kangaskhan. She could go berserk on you. We’re both lucky she returned to the ball without a fight when you issued the recall.”

“Maybe, but she’s still one of the best bets I have, if I’m supposed to be obsessed with winning the matches... and I’m not, anyway, I’m less worried about winning and more worried about seeing whether that gym is where it happened. If it isn’t, then we’ve eliminated one, and we keep looking. Maybe we’ll get a clue or a lucky break.” He returned to the terminal and completed his request, then began the electronic transaction that would send Rattata and Paras back to the lab in exchange for Butterfree and Zubat.

“Jason.”

He turned around and sighed. “What?”

She looked at him with perhaps the most sincere expression he’d ever seen her wear. “Don’t get yourself lost in this. You love your Pokémon too much to be this careless.”

“Says the one who thinks ‘you train them, not the other way around’.”

She wasn’t shaken by the retort. “You know what I’m talking about, Jason. You get yourself too wrapped up in this, you let your Pokémon fall to rivals and enemies one too many times, they’ll start hating you and ignoring you. That’s not the hallmark of a good trainer. A good trainer maintains his relationship with his Pokémon, makes sure they have the best chances and the best encouragement.”

“I’m trying to give them the best chances. You think I want to go marching into a gym unprepared for what I’m gonna find there? Of course not. I couldn’t handle the badgering I’d get from you, anyway.” He scoffed and deposited his newly transferred Poké Balls in his belt. “Look, let me worry about handling my Pokémon. Kangaskhan’s the one that’s angry and eager. I know I need to rein her in. Just help me out with this, so we can get back to our regularly scheduled lives.”

She tilted her head at him. “Sound to me like you watch too much television.”

His answer was immediate. “Don’t we all?”

–

Jason’s registry into the Indigo League went easily enough. Nurse Joy processed his information as it was given on his Pokémon license, but she couldn’t help but look strangely at him for a moment. “Your license doesn’t permit you to capture Pokémon away from the mainland? That would put you at something of a disadvantage, especially for deep-water Pokémon, wouldn’t it?”

Jason shrugged in response. “I work for Professor Oak, he wants to expand his preserve territory. I’m guessing he doesn’t have a lot of deep water either in what he has now or in the area he’s wanting. May as well get more land-based ones, right?”

She rocked her head from side to side in reluctant acquiescence to his point. “That may be true, but it means you’re missing out on maybe the most wide-reaching type of Pokémon, in terms of variety. It might be worth mentioning to him if you should ever want the limits of your license expanded.”

“I’ll think about it,” he replied. “For now I’m just looking to get in on some gym action.”

“And so you will,” was her answer; she handed him his license back. “You’re now officially registered to compete in the Indigo League of Kanto. You can battle in any gym, against any gym trainer or leader, and if you defeat a leader in battle, you’ll be rewarded with a badge as proof of your skill. Collect at least eight badges and you’ll be eligible to compete in the Indigo League Tournament held annually.”

“That’s a bit far off, yet,” Jason responded wryly, “but thanks. Wish me luck, I’m gonna need it.”

“Good luck!” she obliged.

Kelly joined him as he exited the Pokémon Center and began making his way towards the northeast section of town. Their path took them diagonally through one residential sector, then the commercial core, and then another residential area. As they passed through, Jason found himself struck by how few idlers were out in the streets. “Aren’t there usually more people out this time of day, in a big city like this?” he asked.

“Not everybody outside the Orange Islands gets a siesta period,” Kelly remarked.

“Seriously, though. This is Saffron City, it’s supposed to be the biggest one Kanto has, right?” Jason shrugged and gestured around. “There’s got to be at least a few people who happen to have the day off today, but to look at it, it’s like there’s hardly anyone at all.”

She sighed but surveyed the area; to her surprise, it seemed that Jason was correct. The city seemed too empty for the middle of the day. “Nobody out to lunch? Or did they all get there already?” she wondered aloud.

“See? Told you.”

“Yeah, well, what’re you gonna do, knock on people’s doors and tell them to come out and play?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Never mind.” But when he reset his vision on the objective – a larger structure built in the manner of a training dojo for martial artists – his brow creased into a frown, and he pointed. “What’s that building next to it, there?”

Kelly blinked. The word “building” was perhaps too generous for what he was describing; it was more a frame for what would eventually become one. Easily twice the dojo’s square footage and twice its height, the place was surrounded by construction equipment and workers that looked almost to be scrambling to get the place up. She tilted her head. “Whatever it is, they’re being a bit fast for construction... usually you see a bunch of them just standing around...” She let out a wry chuckle. “Maybe that’s where all the people went?”

Jason suppressed a shudder. “Don’t even suggest it, that’d just make me want to leave town ASAP. Let’s just get to the gym, huh?”

The dojo had no true door in the front of its structure, just an open portal that led into the building. While the outer walls of the building were simple wood paneling, the interior was mostly rice paper covering the otherwise evident framework. Inside, there were five strapping young men clad in white training garb and red bandannas – four of them were evidently engaged in Pokémon battles with each other, while the fifth was standing at the far end of the training arena, apparently content to bear silent witness to the battles. All combatant Pokémon involved were Fighting-Type – Machops and Machokes, Mankeys and Primeapes.

Jason surveyed the room for a long moment, noting that Kangaskhan’s ball was not quivering on his hip as it had been just a short time ago. The light that came into the room was sunlight penetrating through open skylights, and its reflection against the white paper walls meant the room was perpetually lit no matter where the light came from. This can’t be where it happened.

But their entry into the training arena earned the attention of the warring trainers, and suddenly all eyes were on Jason and Kelly rather than on immediate rivals. But before a word was spoken by any of the combatants, a sharp directive issued from the single figure at the back of the room. “Back to your training!”

The four other young man jumped at the order and quickly turned back to face each other, but the one who had delivered the order raised his hand and gestured for Jason and Kelly to approach. The two teens exchanged looks and then carefully wound their way behind the trainers on the left side of the arena, then stepped up to the alcove in which the ostensible leader was situated. He was square-jawed, and his coal-black hair seemed to be trying to overwhelm the bandanna in it. He offered a polite smile to the two as they approached. “Please forgive the impertinence of my trainees. They’re to be training against each other, not allowing themselves to be distracted by the outside world – even when that world encroaches here.”

“Well, sorry for ‘encroaching’,” Jason said, drawing quotation marks in the air with his fingers, “but we came here looking for something. I’m pretty sure it isn’t here.”

“Yet you did enter our sanctuary, which just so happens to be a Pokémon gym. I’m certain you were aware of this.”

Jason bobbed his head reluctantly. “Yeah, I know. So we have to do battle, right?”

“That is the proper course, yes. But first, may I ask what you seek?”

Jason blinked. “Really?”

The leader tilted his head. “I may be a harsh taskmaster, but it is only in pursuit of helping others to find what they seek, as well. Perhaps I might be of some assistance.”

The teen’s face scrunched in further reluctance. “Well, it might be sort of hard to explain...”

Kelly interjected. “Not hard to explain, just hard to believe. But if you won’t try, I will, ‘cause I’m in on this whole misadventure too.” She turned to the leader. “We found the ghost of a Kangaskhan in Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower, and we think she was killed in a Pokémon gym. We’re trying to find out where because we think people were to blame. We don’t know which one but she gave us a couple of hazy clues. There isn’t a chance you’d know anything about it, right?”

Jason winced at her blunt explanation, but the gym leader wore an expression that betrayed his piqued curiosity. “A Kangaskhan ghost... I’ve heard stories of ghosts of deceased Pokémon haunting that tower before. A Rapidash was the most recent one I’d heard of, but that was some time ago.” He gestured to the gym. “You may search the grounds, if you care to, but I would dare to conclude this is not the place you mean to find the place of the poor creature’s demise.”

Jason shook his head. “No, it doesn’t look like it, not from what I saw.” Then his eyes narrowed. “You actually believe us?”

The leader spread his hands wide. “You’ve given me no reason not to. You do not appear unhinged or unable to grasp reality as it stands before you. So I would prefer to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even if every word you just told me is entirely untrue, it does me no harm.”

“You can trust us, it’s true,” Jason responded. “But do you have any idea where we could at least start looking?”

“It appears to me that you’ve already started looking. If you believe this is not where this Kangaskhan’s death occurred, then that eliminates this place. There are only so many gyms in the world.” The leader gave them the barest hint of a smile.

“That’s not really funny,” Kelly admonished. “This is serious. We need to find the gym it happened in so that Kangaskhan can rest in peace. Is there any gym leader you know of that might be brutal enough to allow that kind of thing to happen? Or look the other way when it does?”

“Perhaps.” The leader stuck his hands behind his back. “But you have still entered a Pokémon gym, and when you do so, it is assumed you mean to challenge the leader of that gym. Should you win your battle against me, I will share with you my suspicions, as well as a wager of eight hundred eighty-eight pokéyen.”

Jason cocked his head. “Well, obviously, I have to agree to the wager, since I walked in here, but that’s sort of a strange number, isn’t it?”

The leader shrugged. “It is the wager I make with all who battle me. Sufficient funding if they win, but an amount they can ill afford to lose.” He brought his hands back out from behind him – now they each carried an enlarged Poké Ball. “The trainer whose Pokémon are still able to battle will be the winner. I am Koichi, black belt in Pokémartial arts and leader of the Fighting Dojo, and I accept your challenge.”

Jason’s hand went to his belt, and he removed a Poké Ball of his own. “I’m Jason... Pokémon trainer. And I’m gonna make things right.”

Both capsules sailed into the air.

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© Matt Morwell, 2011